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GrooveShark.com - A new option for FREE online music

After his initial misgivings, Clark now reports that the Massachusetts healthcare experiment -- where they've required all citizens to have coverage -- is working better than expected. Mitt Romney was viewed as pandering to the Democrats when he agreed to implement this experiment. But really he just found a good compromise.

Clark believes the Democrats are too fervent for socialized medicine, and the GOP is too dead-set on a free-market solution. Both parties are leaving the American people behind as they get into partisan battles over the healthcare issue.

In Massachusetts, the number of people with coverage is up -- and almost all of it is not the welfare-state stuff you might expect. Romney's plan effectively eliminated redlining and allowed people with pre-existing conditions to buy health coverage for the first time ever.

The Democrats were upset that the Massachusetts law made individuals responsible for buying their own health coverage. But Clark loves it. The GOP was upset that the state had to subsidize coverage for the poor. But Clark loves that too. After all, it frees up the emergency rooms and saves money because hospitals no longer have to write off the cost of treating uninsured people.

Of course, Massachusetts didn't get everything right. But the state put aside partisanship and blazed the trail into new territory. Their experiment provides a marker for other states to try to improve upon.

In related news, The Dallas Morning News reports that Bennigan's and Steak & Ale employees/former employees are out of luck with insurance and COBRA now that both companies have gone bankrupt. One woman who is in a late stage of pregnancy is uninsured and uninsurable for her delivery -- even though she's been paying into the plan.

Clark has long believed that employer-provided healthcare is not the way to go -- and this is a perfect example why not.

The Detroit News reports that GM is running short of cash. The dire financial straits have prompted 2 recent major announcements from the automaker.

First, GM is offering a new warranty for used cars under their certified-car program. This is a highly unusual move that you can benefit from. This bumper-to-bumper warranty is for 12 months/12,000 miles.

The second announcement concerns employee pricing on new vehicles. This is not a gimmick. It's a longstanding perk that's been enjoyed by the employees of many American automakers. Now it's being extended to the general public in the hopes that they'll buy more GM vehicles.

Now is the time for great deals -- unless you're seeking a highly coveted small car or a hybrid!

CLARKONOMICS: Have you heard about the new documentary I.O.U.S.A.? Don't expect this flick to be a Hollywood blockbuster or to sell millions of tickets. In fact, Clark jokes that it's a true sleeper hit -- emphasis on sleeper!

I.O.U.S.A. is the brainchild of Warren Buffett, Pete Peterson and other wealthy folks. As the title suggests, it focuses on how we as a nation have wracked up debts that we can't pay.

This film describes in nauseating detail how we as a country can't afford the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that we've promised our citizens. The math simply isn't going to work, especially as we live longer life-spans.

The takeaway for you is that you are the only who can provide for your retirement -- particularly if you're under 40. So you can either start saving money now, or face the fact that you may not get to retire. Not retiring is not the worst thing in the world; retirement itself is a relatively new concept in human history.

If you can save as little as a dime on every dollar you make, you'll put yourself in good stead for retirement. Do you have an employer match through your 401(k)? Make sure you're putting in at least enough to pick up the match.

One of Clark's beloved free online music sites -- Pandora.com -- might be getting ready to go the way of the dodo. They're going broke because of some obscure rulings concerning compensation for artists and labels. In essence, they're being hit with "tariffs" on every song that are prohibitively high.

Pandora has long offered a free legal alternative to stealing music. The website uses artificial intelligence to play an endless stream of music suited to your personal tastes.

But as one door closes, a window opens. GrooveShark.com is another site Clark has discovered that allows you to both listen to and download music online for free.

For those who just want to listen to music -- but not own it -- there's GrooveShark Lite. This jukebox-style option allows you to stream music on your computer for free -- similar to Pandora.

Unlike Pandora, however, GrooveShark gives you the option to download free music via a credit system. For every song you upload, GrooveShark gives you credits that can be used to "pay" for downloading songs that others may have available. The rarer the track you upload, the more credits you'll receive.

No music in your collection to upload? No worries. You can just pay 99 cents/song -- much like iTunes -- for every download.

With GrooveShark, you get to own everything you download. They handle all the compensation for artists, labels and uploaders.

Here's Clark's take on the whole GrooveShark issue: In an era where 99% of all downloaded songs are stolen, this gives you another opportunity to do the right thing. He suggests parents use GrooveShark to teach their children right from wrong when it comes to Internet music piracy.